There are a variety of emergency cots in use today. Such emergency cots may be designed to transport and load patients into an ambulance.
For example, the PROFlexX® cot, by Ferno-Washington, Inc. of Wilmington, Ohio U.S.A., is a manually actuated cot that may provide stability and support for loads of about 700 pounds (about 317.5 kg). The PROFlexX® cot includes a patient support portion that is attached to a wheeled undercarriage. The wheeled under carriage includes an X-frame geometry that can be transitioned between nine selectable positions. One recognized advantage of such a cot design is that the X-frame provides minimal flex and a low center of gravity at all of the selectable positions. Another recognized advantage of such a cot design is that the selectable positions may provide better leverage for manually lifting and loading bariatric patients.
Another example of a cot designed for bariatric patients, is the POWERFlexx+ Powered Cot, by Ferno-Washington, Inc. The POWERFlexx+ Powered Cot includes a battery powered actuator that may provide sufficient power to lift loads of about 700 pounds (about 317.5 kg). One recognized advantage of such a cot design is that the cot may lift a bariatric patient up from a low position to a higher position, i.e., an operator may have reduced situations that require lifting the patient.
A further variety is a multipurpose roll-in emergency cot having a patient support stretcher that is removably attached to a wheeled undercarriage or transporter. The patient support stretcher when removed for separate use from the transporter may be shuttled around horizontally upon an included set of wheels. One recognized advantage of such a cot design is that the stretcher may be separately rolled into an emergency vehicle such as station wagons, vans, modular ambulances, aircrafts, or helicopters, where space and reducing weight is a premium.
Another advantage of such a cot design is that the separated stretcher may be more easily carried over uneven terrain and out of locations where it is impractical to use a complete cot to transfer a patient. Example of such conventionally known cots can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,037,871, 4,921,295, and International Publication No. WO2001/070161.
Although the foregoing multipurpose roll-in emergency cots have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all aspects. Accordingly, powered roll-in cots having wheel alignment mechanisms are needed.